March 18, 2025 • 38 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Bruce Weir, Mike McIntyre, Karen Williams, Andy Borland, and Hunter McGregor.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent. You're specialist in
John Dre machinery.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Politics, bodyguard, pardon the.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Word honesty, underguard, injury, famtres faven Ons of World, given a.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
File, certain wilderness Society.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I'm glad I'm not Kennedy.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Get Amie Zelland and welcome to the Country. I'm Jamie McKay.
That's shown a lane. Glad I'm not a Kennedy. The
Trump Star. Donald Trump is releasing eighty thousand pages the
last of the JFK files, the Classified Files today. Looking
forward to seeing what comes out of that. You can't
beat a good conspiracy theory. We're going to kick off
(01:06):
the show with the good news story, the latest Rabobank
rural confidence survey with Bruce ware based in Hamilton. Very
dry way shadow at the moment, but he's in Sydney today,
Mike McIntyre, Jardine's head of commodities. Have a look at
what I thought anyhow, on the face of it was
a really good global dairy trade auction result overnight flat,
(01:27):
but he says the devil lies in the detail. Karen
Williams former vice president of Federated Farmers for Chief Executive
of Irrigation New Zealand and in fact, she's the new
Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand, but has her move
cost us here at the country a bit of a stalwart.
We'll ask her that one Andy Borland is the managing
(01:50):
director of Scales Corp, one of our biggest, if not
our biggest, horticulture company. He's also the spokesperson for the
Lincoln College Rugby football Club re union that's happening in May.
And we might also get an update on what's happening
with horticulture and Scales in India. On the PM's Trade
Delegation AGUI in China is Hunter McGregor are we seeing
(02:12):
a recovery in the Chinese economy? All that to do?
Before the end of the hour, we'll have rural news
and sports news for you as well, and I'll try
and dig up some Kennedy trivia O. We've got that
great thing in sports news. Hopefully i'll dig up a
story on that one young Sam Ruth, fifteen years of age,
attempting to be the first fifteen year old to ever
(02:36):
break four minutes for the mile. What a machine. He
is up next, Bruce Ware.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Me and peas with him. We will not prematurely are
unnecessarily bridged the course worldwide nuclear warn and we're given
the fruits of victory would be ashes.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
So let's kick off the show today with the good
news story. It is the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey.
We're heading to Sydney. He's over there for a board meeting.
He mixes with the rich and famous, the GM for
Country Banking, for Rabobank. Bruce Ware and Bruce you'd do
anything to get away from that Whitecado drought in the tron.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Yeah, pretty bad there, Jamie, But I do understand we've
had two mills of rain yesterday and overnight.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
So we'll take that absolutely, you'll take it. We'll also
take the improved sentiment among sheep and beef farmers, which
has helped drive a third consecutive lift in that farmer
Confidence survey. This is your first one for twenty twenty five.
Talk us through some of the numbers, Bruce.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Yeah, Jamie, you're following the big jump in quarter four
twenty four farmer conference has risen it, you say, exciting
thing is actually the third time in a row.
Speaker 6 (03:52):
The next net.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
Confidence is now sitting at forty four percent, up from
thirty four percent, which is its second highest read recorded
over the past ten years, with quarter to twenty seventeen
being the highest at fifty two percent. So let's hope
we've turned a corner. But like you say, it was
really nice to see this time around, sheep and beef
farmers leading the charge, recording the biggest uplift up forty
(04:17):
one up to forty one percent from twenty percent.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Yeah, and I guess that's driven off the back of
record beef prices and lambs up a couple of dollars
of kilo on where it was last year. Mutton's better.
We just need the strong wall to come right, Bruce Ware,
I'm not holding the breath on that one.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
No, that's a different story I think there, Jamie. But
as you know, last time we spoke towards in the
last year, there was a wee bit of optimism in
sheep and beef and we just needed those red meat
prices to hold buck the trends of those sort of
sort of sticker summer period months. But as we know,
they've certainly done that and in places actually above five
year averages.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Now, when we look at the reason farmers are positive,
these are probably self evident. I could have saved you.
The problem of doing is serve Bruce, because you don't
have to be a rocket scientist to figure out higher
commodity prices driving the positivity that's coming from sixty two
percent of those surveyed falling interest rates. This is interesting
from a bank's point of view. Was second place at
(05:16):
twenty two percent. I thought it might have been higher,
And I think, Bruce, this is just a reflection of
how slow U banks have been in dropping interest rates.
What do you say in your defense.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
Oh, I think we're doing all we can there, Jamie.
We're following the ACR down, so maybe we need more
cuts quicker.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Now those who were identified as looking less favorably at
the year ahead, and it wasn't many of them. Most
farmers are reasonably positive at the moment once again, rising
input costs thirty three percent, no surprise there. But government
and intervention and policies is topping the list at thirty
seven percent. Once again, a wee bit of a surprise
(05:55):
for me, because I don't think this government could be
too much more fun friendly.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
Yeah, look, I do fit. I did find that a
wee bit of a surprise, but I do wonder if
the sort of macroeconomic climate gets pulled into that from
the global space. So maybe that's just on farmers minds too,
I believe.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Okay, so there's a good positive a rural confidence survey
from Rabobank. I'm just coming back to Hamilton where you're
based the White Cato. In fact, the wide and North Island,
especially the west and northern parts, are in a drought.
You mentioned ten mills of rain overnight. It's not a
drought breaker, but it's a start. So are you seeing
dairy farmers drying off early?
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I think it is a huge sort of drawing cares
off or going once a day. I think we're sort
of still waiting for that rain to come. We've had
a couple of really good seasons with supplements, so there's
still pulling your supplement on hand. So I guess with
the reasoning solid payout, still it makes economic sense to
(06:58):
be put a wee bit more feed in Jenmy. But
we don't get rained sooner than the forecast i'd imagine
to see we'll start seeing people drawing off.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Just a final one for you, A bit later in
the show, we're going to be chatting to Andy Borland,
who used to be the chair of Rabobank. I know
you know him well. Now I know that you're a
tertiary educated man. You don't get to be the GM
of a Rabobank or for country banking without a good,
solid degree behind you. Were you a Lincoln guy or
a Massy guy?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
No, No, I had quite good marks, Jamie, So I
got him to Messy.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
That's a bit of a cheap shot. I was going
to ask you if you went to Lincoln. Of course,
there's a rugby reunion coming up, and I know you're
a very keen rugby man.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Yeah, yeah, I certainly heard a wee bit about that.
It'll be good to watch on the sidelines, I guess.
But I do have a connection with Lincoln. My daughter
actually started Lincoln this year, so she went against her
mother and I and decided to skip Messy and head
to Lincoln.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Good honor. Indeed, Lincoln's doing very well. More than five
thousand students in fact, might be five and a half
one thousand students on campus and online. So that's a
damn fine result for a university that a few years
ago was in deep trouble. More about that Lincoln Rugby
reunion Lincoln College Rugby reunion a bit later in the hour.
But Bruce ware GM for Country Banking for Rabobank, thanks
(08:16):
for some of your time from Sydney today.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Do you think Sheny not yet?
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Thank you, Bruce. It has bang on quarter past twelve.
You're with the Country. Brought to you by Brent. Michelle
Watts wandered in with a cup of tea. Well done, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
I just want to reinforce to the listener's misogyny does
not exist in this workforce, although we do have a
food chain. I did buy you a coffee this morning,
so that's a fair swape you did.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, you're very You're very good to me, Jamie's my listeners.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
To know out there, well, not everyone thinks I'm good
to them. We've we've just lost we've officially lost a
Country member, but not completely. We'll tell you more about
that with Karen Williams. But when when's Trumpster? When's the
big gone releasing?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
The Kennedy files are sometime this afternoon as of five
twenty pm, which it is roughly over there at the moment.
They still hadn't been released, so I guess they're still
hanging on. We'll find out. I guess I might even
have to tune into Fox News about this too.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Well, when I get home from my Wednesday afternoon golf,
That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to watch
Fox News and enjoy all the conspiracy theories that will abound.
Eighty thousand pages. That is a lot of reading, a
lot of reading. Also, I need you to find out
for me, talking about talking to Bruce and the drought
(09:33):
in the North Island, where are those remaining black Cap
T twenties against Pakistan scheduled four because it's a way
to break a drought. So I'm hoping there's some scheduled
for I don't know Hamilton, New Plymouth, bung Array. You
can find those out. But up next, Up next, we're
going to chat to Mike McIntyre who's in Auckland. Also,
(09:55):
he's Jardan's head of commodities. I thought it was a
really good global dairy tra auction overnight with a flat result,
but he reckons the devil's in the detail. Mike McIntyre.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Up next, Kennedy, I wonder gly waiting their Queen bartendercades
for the God.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
I've shout it out, who killed.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Of Kennedy is wearing hand of h when you mvy.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
The Rolling Stones and Sympathy for the Devil. I didn't
even realize, mindo. I used to think the song was
called Symphony for the Devil, that the Kennedys were mentioned
in there. I should listen to the lyrics. Mike McIntyre
joins his head of commodities for Jardin. Mike, are you
a Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorist like myself?
Speaker 8 (10:54):
No? No, probably a little bit before my time. But
you know heavy to be brought up to speed on it.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
You haven't been brought up to speed, or you have.
Speaker 8 (11:01):
No happy to be brought up to speed.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Well, I don't know that Trump's releasing eighty thousand pages
very shortly, so I will be watching Fox News and
reading those tonight. I'll be full of knowledge on tomorrow's show.
Tell me well, I woke up this morning rather early. Actually,
first thing I did every second Wednesday, which shows you
what a boring life I've got. I go to my
phone and I see what the GDT auction's doing, and
(11:25):
I see a flat result Home powd are up a
wee bit. When you told me yesterday the futures market
was picking a one to two percent drop. Surely we'd
grab this result with both hands. But you say, the
devil no pun intended for this song. The devil is
in the detail.
Speaker 8 (11:42):
Yeah, I don't think it was a bad result, obviously.
You know anywhere where you know, Hoole Pader's approaching four
thousand dollars a time, and the Kiwi is where it is.
It's fantastic. It's just that a lot of the improvements
came through the likes of mozzarella, which Fonterra doesn't sell, lactose,
which is actually a cost of the new hilland Farmer
rather a benefit, and even some of the improvements and
the likes of skim milk power and homlet powder came
(12:04):
from European sellers who they became evident when you had
a look at who the participating buyers were, and a
lot of them were Europeans. And so as a result,
you know, Europeans haven't suddenly worken up today and decided
they're going to buy a New Zealand product. They're in
fact still buying European product. We have to just be
a little bit careful when we look at the index.
Probably one of the biggest contributors, or one of the
(12:28):
most interesting points was that C one skim milk powder
price which failed to clear. So historically prices opened fifteen
percent below where they closed last time. And so you know,
although the index shows it has unchanged, in fact failed
fifteen percent, what is.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
The new Zealand waiting on the Global Airy Trade auction platform.
Speaker 8 (12:48):
It would still be demonstrably high. It's just at this
time of the year where our volume is full away
quite quickly and we're coming to the start of the
European flush, they have more of an influence than what
they would have in previous options, and so and again,
you know, GUNT have done a great job of getting
or attracting new sellers onto the platform. But as a
result of that, and we just have to be a
(13:09):
little bit careful now when we look at the headlines
and numbers, because as I said, you know, the devil
is in the detail.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Darien Z came out earlier in the week and they're
saying ten bucks for this year, which seems to be
almost locked and loaded, but interestingly ten bucks for next
season twenty five twenty six, the futures market once again,
information provided by you to me yesterday are the futures
market's not quite seeing ten dollars for next season yet, and.
Speaker 8 (13:36):
You wouldn't expect that. There's a lot of uncertainty. Obviously,
there's no milk being sold for next season as off years,
and so you know, for them to come out and
say post ten dollars while you know, you're making some
pretty big assumptions, and not to say they're not going
to be they're not going to play out. It's just
there's a lot of unknown So you know, I'd look
at the futures more as a more as a touch point,
(13:58):
just because of the fact that if a farmer wants
to make that of their effective milk price, they can
lock that. And whereas the ten thirteen, while it'll be
exciting to see that sort of price pop up next year,
it's not something that we can act on at the stage.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Trump is releasing the Kennedy papers today. I have more
interest in New Zealand farmers is when he makes his
pronouncement about tariffs, have likes New Zealand dairy farmers got
less to fare than say New Zealand red meat farmers,
bearing in mind we send less dairy comparatively to the
US than we do red meat.
Speaker 8 (14:32):
Yeah, I think that's probably a fair assumption. What I
would say, though, is that the US exports about fourteen
percent of its solids. You know, they're a market that's
four and a half times the size of US, twice
the number of cows, but four and a half times
the size of production. But fourteen percent of their solids
are exported. So in terms of the amount of milk exported,
not not a huge difference to New Zealand, but the
(14:54):
concentration is a lot different. Sixty percent of the air
exports go through into Mexico. I sorry, forty percent of
their exports go through into meat Xico, of which sixty
percent would be skimmel powder. So although red meats obviously
got a lot more at play, if there was britelliatory
efforts from Mexico and regards to the tariffs, then obviously
it'll throw a whole lot of extra product out into
(15:14):
the market.
Speaker 6 (15:15):
You know.
Speaker 8 (15:15):
Fortunately, we're about to into in a period now where
we don't produce a lot of milk. But if it
was overheming the market for a period of time then
you know, obviously it wouldn't help the startup to next season.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
A quick comment on Fonterra is what half year results
due tomorrow will have Miles hurrole on the show? What
are you expecting.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
I'm really expecting entinly of that range. So it's been
sort of three and a half months since we lasted
and updack to the milk price, and since then, you know,
we've seen a third of the New Zealand season collected,
so you know, the uncertainty that existed at the start
of December doesn't exist now, and so i'd expect that range,
both the nine to fifty at the bottom end and
the ten to fifty even at the top end to
(15:52):
be tightened, you know. And I'm really hopeful actually of
an increase from the Carrotman point from where we are now.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Oh, good news, Okay, Mike McIntyre, thank you very much
for your time. We will await Miles Hurrel and what
he has to say on tomorrow's show. Documents have been released.
Michelle has passed me a note, yes, but what's in them? Michelle?
You can pass me another note with all eighty thousand
(16:19):
pages please before the end of the show up next
to Karen Williams. I've got a bit of a bone
to pick with Karen Williams. That is up next. She's
the new Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand.
Speaker 7 (16:33):
Read to me too, Oh you get, oh yeah, an you.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Songs featuring the Kennedys Today. There you go. You learn
something every day. Didn't realize it was in the song.
Karen Williams joins us former vice president of Federated Farmers.
If she'd hung in there, she would have cut Wayne
Langford off. At the past she would have been the
president formerly in a pr position with FMG. These days
(17:19):
are Karen for about a month. You're the new chief
Executive of Irrigation New Zealand. And let's just address the
elephant in the room if we can. Why I've got
a bit of a bone to pick with you because
Rowena Duncan has been Duncan has been my offsider here
on the country since about twenty seventeen twenty eighteen, and
I got used to her. She became part of the
furniture and she fills them when I'm away. But she
(17:42):
has now decided to take your old job at FMG,
even though she's going to hang around and help us out.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Thanks for that, Karen, Good afternoon, Jamie and youth. Look
the congratulations to row And I suppose perhaps I love
my job so much at e FMG and might have
promoted it a bit well, but it obviously caught her
eye and that we know that she represents the role
was very much about being the voice of the client
(18:08):
and understanding what the concerns and challenges and opportunities are.
And Roy will continue to bring that very strongly into
E FuG And I guess the upside is she's still
in the wider Egg family. Jamie.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Well, you women and agg are sort of just playing
musical chairs. Rowena yourself Vanessa from Irrigation New Zealand, yep.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Just keep moving around and keep hopefully having a positive
impact on.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Talk to me and I know you've only just got
your feet under the desk about the challenges and they're exciting,
well they exciting things ahead for irrigation because Vanessa winning,
as I said, did a really good job putting it
on the map. And you've got Shane Jones now a
real champion for irrigation and water storage around the country.
And we were talking about a new water storage facility
(18:59):
in the heratone Planes and Hawks Bay. We just need
more of this, Karen. That's your brief, Eh.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
That's my brave. Yeah, And look shout out to Vanessa.
And it's great that her insights that she had an
irrigation New Zealand she's taken into NPI in sort of
an enabling role so that we're having these conversations about
wise use of water and good water storage and so
that that message won't change for us. You know, we're
(19:25):
very much about Okay, we know we've got some challenges
with climate, and we've got areas that are drier, areas
that are wetter, and then the anomalies that go with
that as well. And I think you know, we can
talk about that certainly this year where East Coast is
usually your drier area and your West coast is a
bit more plentiful rain, and we've got a complete reverse
(19:47):
on that. So we need to be thinking smarter about
how do we harness the opportunities of that water and
those peak flow areas and store that. And that can
be in a different range of ways, whether it is
a dam, or it's water storage on farm, whether it's
canal it's equa for recharge. So we really need to
be looking at the spectrum of opportunities to build greater
(20:08):
resilience for our farmers and growers, but also all of community.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
You're an arable farmer when you're not when you're at home,
which is probably not very often these days, Karen, in
the wire rapper region, so you're looking for dry, settled,
warm weather at this time of the year to get
all the crops off. How's the wire rapper looking.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Yeah, look, I think everyone be pretty happy and there's
plenty of grass around. Yeah, it has been a bit
stop starting with harvest, but the yields have been pretty good.
And I think that probably was that week period we
had that sort of ruined Christmas New Year, but it
has helped drive up the yields. It's just made harvest
(20:50):
somewhat later. We're probably three weeks behind where we'd ordinarily be.
But yeah, so we're taking each day as it comes.
It's raining again today, so it's a good day being
twenties for almost the twenties of the month. Tomorrow, so
husband's at home sorting out those accounts.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I think, are you going to be a legacy chief
executive like by the time you leave the role for
your inevitable next role. As you climb your way to
the top of the ladder, Karen Williams, will you get
a big kick our stam in the wire wrapper and
say I built that.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
I'm not interested in titles. I'm just interested in good,
good outcomes. And we need to build greater resilience in
the waded up and it's been talked about for decades.
You know we've got mastered and district on restrictions this
summer where you will allowed to water your vegigaden. You
know that's no good when you've got a cost of
living crisis. So we need to continue the conversation that's
(21:42):
about how do we best catcher and store the water
so that we can use it at the right time.
And that includes residential and cludes are in industrial commercial
users and we certainly want to grow opportunities for our
farmers and growers.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Karen Williams, great to catch up with you in your
capacity as the new Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand.
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Thanks very much. Jamie.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
There we go and as twenty six away from One
Rural News Next Kennedy Songs Michelle's loaded them all up.
Apparently there's a wee bit of guns n' roses Civil War. Yeah,
I didn't even know that one. We didn't start the fire,
Billy Joel that mentions Kennedy's Oh and I should actually
(22:25):
play Abraham Martin and John Do you know what that
one's about? No, I'll tell you during the commercial break,
We'll be back with rural news and sports news here
on the Country. Welcome back to the Country. Very shortly.
The latest and rural news and sports news now Matt
(22:48):
Day and Wade Bell. They're the hosts of the Feed
for Thought podcast and they're in the process of taking
their show on the road. Matten Wade's Rural Roady is
a three week tour through Heartland, New Zealand, with fourteen
different events along the way, the industry experts farmers sharing
their experiences and networking opportunities galore. Whether you're a farmer, grower,
(23:10):
contractor consultant or rural professional, Mattin Wade's Rural Roadie offers
something for everyone. Tonight's stop off and It's going to
be a lot of fun, involves hitting the waves at
the Surfing for Farmers event in Raglan then later this
week there's an on farm event in Reparoa, plus next
week the Lad's head through Taranaki and Lower North Island
before venturing south. As with any good rural road trip,
(23:32):
stops include giveaways, Barista made coffee and free lunches. To
find your nearest event, check out the full tour schedule
online at Pioneer dot co dot nz.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
To the country's rural news with cob Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on Lawnbower brand, visit steel Ford dot co
dot Nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Teresa Reddan, the butchery manager at Packensave glen Innes and
East Auckland, and is heading to Paris to represent New
Zealand as part of the Haller's Sharp Blacks team at
the World Butcher's Challenge. She is the only female in
the six man team and will be competing alongside five
other butchers from across New Zealand. The squad also has
another female reserve. The competition takes place from March thirtieth
(24:17):
to thirty first and features fourteen teams from around the world,
and the judges will assess butchers on hygiene, cleanliness, efficiency, safety,
product cookability and the presentation of the meat and that's
your rooral news. You can find more at the Country
dot co dot.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
NZ Sport with AVCO Kiwi to the Bone since nineteen
oh four.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
And as much as I'm looking forward to the release
of the classified Kennedy files, I.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Never would have guessed Jamie I mentioned it once.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
No. On what I'm looking more forward to is fifteen
year old middle distance runner Sam Ruth attempting to become
the youngest person to record a sub formanut miles, happening
at Mount Smart tonight. Also in sports news, England Cricket's
governing body has come out against proposals for a Saudi
(25:05):
Arabian backed T twenty league because the tournament will further
saturate the market and there's no show without Trump. United
States President Donald Trump has promised to revive a bilateral
hockey rivalry with puck loving Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. It's
(25:27):
a bromance, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
How with Ukraine, the whole thing is just absolutely bizarre.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Yep okay up next to Andy Borland Gee. He runs
Scales Corp, one of our biggest horticulture companies. He's also
a former chair of Rabobank, but he's talking about we're,
amongst other things, about a rugby reunion coming up at
Lincoln College these days known as Lincoln University. Here's a
(26:01):
man who wears quite a few hats in agriculture in
the primary sector. His name is Andy Borland. He's the
managing director of Scales Corp. Their chair Mike Peterson, is
in India with the Prime Minister at the moment. He's
a former chair of Ravo Bank. And for the purposes
of this interview, Andy, you are one of the organizers
of the Lincoln College Rugby Football Club Reunion for all
(26:24):
those you and me included who played footy for Lincoln
College before it became Lincoln University in nineteen ninety. Tell
us all about it.
Speaker 9 (26:35):
Yeah, thanks, Jamie. Look, we were talking to a group
of us, were talking in the Lincoln College, if you like,
went without saying goodbye. So we decided we'd the title
the Last Autumn Muster Reunion for all of those rugby
players and you know, men and woman that played for
Lincoln and still around from the late fifties right through
(26:57):
to that ninety ninety changeover. There's a fair group of them.
All teams are obviously welcome from the hard case social
teams right through to the first fifteen. So and you
know we're excited to I guess get them all together
to celebrate and acknowledge old times. But yeah, clearly, being
the president of the Lincoln Lincoln University Rugby Football Club,
(27:21):
I've got a bit of a mandate to try and
find them a bit of funding every now and then.
So we're going to raise a bit of money with
the ticket, but also some really cool oction items, Jamie.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
And over the years, Lincoln College these days, Lincoln University
had some great rugby teams and some great rugby players.
Lots of all blacks played for Lincoln College. And I
think I turned up there in nineteen eighty two as
a dip hagger. You were there as a youngster doing
a commerce degree. But I think the year before us,
the nineteen eighty one Lincoln First fifteen as it was
(27:54):
in those days, was arguably one of the best rugby
teams the college you ever put out, oh.
Speaker 9 (28:01):
For sure, and they won the Chrostich competition that year.
They had Craig Green, Albi Anderson, Bruce Dean's how wouldn't
miss any out, But there was a hell of a
lot of them. We're in and around the All Blacks
or Canterbury and they were a very good site.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
Yeah, and a guy called Dave White who probably should
have been on All Black.
Speaker 9 (28:21):
Yeah he was him and Albert Anderson is luck. You
couldn't get better. I wouldn't have thought.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Okay, So how does the weekend pan out?
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Well, look for the real keen get down here on Thursday.
Get the christis on Thursday, and there's an evening function
there at the high school old Boys Club. The Andy
Owen sort of knows those guys, so they've welcomed us
in and let us make a bit of money on
anything we sell. But the main function is the next day,
the Friday night, twenty third of May, where we've got
(28:52):
a function from about four o'clock at the hornby Workingmen's
Clubs the groom there which we'll have a few beers
and a few yarns and also have a meal and
here from some hard case you know, colleagues and older
students and are going to sort of run a prize
auction system as well. So it should be fun.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Now on Saturday to get along and support the current team.
Speaker 8 (29:18):
Sure, on Saturday.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
There's a lot to see out at Lincoln for those
that haven't been around. The rebuild has been incredible what
they've done out there. They've just recommissioned Memorial Hall. There's
there's it's worth going out for sure. So there'll be
a tour of the university on the Saturday of the
twenty fourth, and you know, we'll give you a tend's
(29:39):
brief lunch and then we're off to watch the rugby,
which is our club day for the for the year.
So we all most of the teams are playing out there,
so it would be great for the older guys and
girls to see see how the teams are performing.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Now, yeah, on Sunday, you just look your owns and
go home. So how do you register for the Sandy.
Speaker 9 (29:58):
Well, you can link on the Lincoln University Alumni website
or just if you Lincoln to Google, you know, Lincoln
College Rugby Football Club Reunion. That will take you straight
to the portal and you can you know, you fill
the foreman and send your money and you're all set
to go. It's not a simple process. I'm not an
it genius myself, but I managed to get through it.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Yeah, well I was thick as to planks when it
comes to it. And I just googled Lincoln College Rugby
Football Club reunion and there you go, all the informations
in front of you. Talk to me, put on your
Scales hat managing director. Of course, you're our biggest apple
exporter in this country. I think I'm right in saying that, aren't.
Speaker 10 (30:37):
I Andy pretty close to it?
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Yeah, okay, So how's Mike Petterson getting on in India
with the PM.
Speaker 9 (30:43):
Well, we haven't heard from him, but it was good
of he's and when he was special envoy for the
Trade ministers back in the day, I'm talking about like
sem or eight years ago, maybe ten, he toured the
world with like Sir Mike Grocer and those guys, and
he went in there a lot, and you know, he
knows a lot about that part of the you know,
how those trade deals work. So it was logical for
(31:07):
Mike to go when we Scales got an invitation by
mister Apple. So to send Mike up there is incredibly
experienced and yeah, we're hoping for, you know, a good
outcome for the accept At.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
The moment, your tariff on apples is something like forty
nine percent, and I was talking to Todd McLay about
this yesterday and I know you heard that interview. Look,
if we could get zero tariffs on say lamb and horticulture,
that would be a great result.
Speaker 6 (31:34):
Ah.
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Sure, I mean it's a it's a fast growing economy.
I think it's the world's largest population.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
Now.
Speaker 9 (31:40):
They certainly you have a need like in their apples
sense that their apple crop gets absolutely cleaned out eaten,
so there's no sort of great, big cool stores processes
taking them through for twelve months. So they need the
import apples to fill in that part of the season.
So it's a great opportunity for us to know too.
(32:02):
We're selling all our varieties in Indiana. It's a great market.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
Hey, Andy Ball and MD of Scales Corp. Great to
have you on the show today. Remember if you want
to go to the Lincoln College Rugby Football Club reunion,
just google it. It'll take you straight there and you
can register. You're a born and bred south Into like me. Andy.
I'll see you at duck shooting.
Speaker 9 (32:22):
Hey, thanks very much, Jamie, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Thanks Andy. That was a fraudy and slip. Duck hunting
up next, Hunter MacGregor and China. Our guy in Shanghai
is Hunter MacGregor. He's selling venison and red meat to
the Chinese. He's been a bit of a grim reaper
(32:46):
to be there in recent times about the Chinese economy.
And I ask you this every time, Hunter, why change
the habit of a lifetime. Surely there must be some
green shoots appearing in that Chinese economy. I mean someone's
buying all of our products.
Speaker 10 (33:01):
Yeah, good afternoon, Jamie. Yeah, there's a few green shoots
floating around. And a bit of positivity came out of
the government yesterday with some growth figures and things like that.
You know, there's four percent sales growth and retail you know,
last month and things like that. So yeah, there's a
few positive signs. But it's still still challenging and consumer
(33:23):
confidence is still quite low. But what the government's doing
up here is they're actually, you know, they're going to
spend some money and try to turn that around. So
let's see how that goes.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Often a good barometer for consumer confidences housing prices, and
they have been suppressed for quite a while in China.
Now if your house is worth more, you've got a
bit more equity, you feel a bit more comfortable about
spending some money.
Speaker 10 (33:50):
Yeah, No, the housing market is still down. And I
was talking to someone the other day that's involved in
that industry and he said, at the moment, there's no
one buying houses in China as an investment because they
know that the market is not going to bounce back
or come or you're not going to see any capital growth.
So you know, people are holding off, and you know,
(34:11):
so that's affecting consumer confidence. But you know, the governments here,
they just came out the other day where they're coming
out with a special action plan to boost consumption here.
So they're going to try to, you know, give it
a go and let's see how that turns out. Because
you know what, traditionally, when when people up herec headwinds,
(34:33):
they put their hands in their pocket and start saving
a bit more because there's not too many safety nets
like in New Zealand. So let's see how that goes.
But you know what, we've got a bit of warmer
weather on the way. It's always a good time of
the year at the moment, so you know, Pete, there's
always a bit of an uplift in things because people
are sort of getting out of their their winter slumber
and into a bit of spring, so you can't complain.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
You're a rock spurh born and bread boy. Of course,
Jimmy's Pie is the I think they're some of the
greatest piers in New Zealand. Of course that's baking or
a bakery. You can call in on your way through
Roxburgh play the best little golf course in New Zealand
as well. But you've got some really fascinating stats on
the baking sector in China.
Speaker 10 (35:16):
Well, yeah, the baking sector in China is going from
strength to strength, is continuing and growing. They're just looking
at some numbers the other day. Now they reckon that
in twenty twenty two there was about thirty nine point
eight billion dollars US dollars in sales, and it's looking
to grow to about forty nine billion this year. There's
about they reckon there's about five hundred thousand bakeries in China.
(35:39):
I'm not too sure about the number because I've read
somewhere between five hundred and six hundred thousand. There's a
hell of a lot of bakeries. But you know last year,
in August last year in Shanghai, there was four seven
hundred and eleven bakeries just in Shanghai alone, and a
lot of those bakeries are sort of they're not the
(36:00):
Chinese traditional bakeries where they have sweet bread and not
very things that we're not very familiar with. A lot
of them will be what we call foreign style bakery,
you know, very a lot of the products of bread
and everything. They will be very familiar to everybody.
Speaker 4 (36:15):
Birthday cakes are also big business in China.
Speaker 10 (36:19):
Oh massive. Yeah, they're expensive, you know. And what I
find with a lot of them, if it's not a
chocolate cake, a lot of the cakes are just a
basic sort of sponge cake with the whole heap of
sort of creamy sort of stuff around them to give
them design and stay. They're pretty not very tasteful, but
a how of a lot of dairy products are used
in them, which is positive for the New Zealand dairy
(36:41):
farmer because the dairy products are going to come from somewhere.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Absolutely they will send as much butter as we can
over there for the baking sector. Now you're waiting with
baited breast breath breast, I should rephrase that, shouldn't I
hunter baitaed breast For the first of the new season's
key we fruit to arrive over and I know that
the red is first off the vines. Effectively, it's already
(37:05):
on a ship and you're you're going to taste some
win in the next week or so in China.
Speaker 9 (37:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (37:10):
No, they've actually just gone out with some pre sales.
I think the ship arrived sometime this week, so product
will probably be in the market next week. So it
actually bought some pre ordered some some red Kiwi fruit,
so looking forward to getting my hands on that, and
then hopefully there'll be some fresh new season apples from
New Zealand hitting the market soon. So it's a good
(37:31):
time of the year and you know, quite excited and
I'm sure zespri and the apple industry WI will do
well like they have done in the past.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
Absolutely, it's a great time of the year to be
in New Zealand, your home country, because the apples are
just to die for at the moment, Hunter of Ogregor,
we'll talk to you in another couple of weeks in Shanghai.
You can tell us all about your first feed of
the Kiwi fruit red.
Speaker 8 (37:53):
We'll do it.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Thanks jam Hunt of Ocgregor. Wrapping the country for today,
we'll catch them at the same time, same place tomorrow
as usual. Miles Hurrel with those half year Fonterra results
and lots of Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay Thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent. You're specialist in
John Dre machinery.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Politics, bodyguard, pardon the.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Word honesty, underguard, injury, famtres faven Ons of World, given a.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
File, certain wilderness Society.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I'm glad I'm not Kennedy.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Get Amie Zelland and welcome to the Country. I'm Jamie McKay.
That's shown a lane. Glad I'm not a Kennedy. The
Trump Star. Donald Trump is releasing eighty thousand pages the
last of the JFK files, the Classified Files today. Looking
forward to seeing what comes out of that. You can't
beat a good conspiracy theory. We're going to kick off
(01:06):
the show with the good news story, the latest Rabobank
rural confidence survey with Bruce ware based in Hamilton. Very
dry way shadow at the moment, but he's in Sydney today,
Mike McIntyre, Jardine's head of commodities. Have a look at
what I thought anyhow, on the face of it was
a really good global dairy trade auction result overnight flat,
(01:27):
but he says the devil lies in the detail. Karen
Williams former vice president of Federated Farmers for Chief Executive
of Irrigation New Zealand and in fact, she's the new
Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand, but has her move
cost us here at the country a bit of a stalwart.
We'll ask her that one Andy Borland is the managing
(01:50):
director of Scales Corp, one of our biggest, if not
our biggest, horticulture company. He's also the spokesperson for the
Lincoln College Rugby football Club re union that's happening in May.
And we might also get an update on what's happening
with horticulture and Scales in India. On the PM's Trade
Delegation AGUI in China is Hunter McGregor are we seeing
(02:12):
a recovery in the Chinese economy? All that to do?
Before the end of the hour, we'll have rural news
and sports news for you as well, and I'll try
and dig up some Kennedy trivia O. We've got that
great thing in sports news. Hopefully i'll dig up a
story on that one young Sam Ruth, fifteen years of age,
attempting to be the first fifteen year old to ever
(02:36):
break four minutes for the mile. What a machine. He
is up next, Bruce Ware.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Me and peas with him. We will not prematurely are
unnecessarily bridged the course worldwide nuclear warn and we're given
the fruits of victory would be ashes.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
So let's kick off the show today with the good
news story. It is the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey.
We're heading to Sydney. He's over there for a board meeting.
He mixes with the rich and famous, the GM for
Country Banking, for Rabobank. Bruce Ware and Bruce you'd do
anything to get away from that Whitecado drought in the tron.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Yeah, pretty bad there, Jamie, But I do understand we've
had two mills of rain yesterday and overnight.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
So we'll take that absolutely, you'll take it. We'll also
take the improved sentiment among sheep and beef farmers, which
has helped drive a third consecutive lift in that farmer
Confidence survey. This is your first one for twenty twenty five.
Talk us through some of the numbers, Bruce.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Yeah, Jamie, you're following the big jump in quarter four
twenty four farmer conference has risen it, you say, exciting
thing is actually the third time in a row.
Speaker 6 (03:52):
The next net.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
Confidence is now sitting at forty four percent, up from
thirty four percent, which is its second highest read recorded
over the past ten years, with quarter to twenty seventeen
being the highest at fifty two percent. So let's hope
we've turned a corner. But like you say, it was
really nice to see this time around, sheep and beef
farmers leading the charge, recording the biggest uplift up forty
(04:17):
one up to forty one percent from twenty percent.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Yeah, and I guess that's driven off the back of
record beef prices and lambs up a couple of dollars
of kilo on where it was last year. Mutton's better.
We just need the strong wall to come right, Bruce Ware,
I'm not holding the breath on that one.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
No, that's a different story I think there, Jamie. But
as you know, last time we spoke towards in the
last year, there was a wee bit of optimism in
sheep and beef and we just needed those red meat
prices to hold buck the trends of those sort of
sort of sticker summer period months. But as we know,
they've certainly done that and in places actually above five
year averages.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Now, when we look at the reason farmers are positive,
these are probably self evident. I could have saved you.
The problem of doing is serve Bruce, because you don't
have to be a rocket scientist to figure out higher
commodity prices driving the positivity that's coming from sixty two
percent of those surveyed falling interest rates. This is interesting
from a bank's point of view. Was second place at
(05:16):
twenty two percent. I thought it might have been higher,
And I think, Bruce, this is just a reflection of
how slow U banks have been in dropping interest rates.
What do you say in your defense.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
Oh, I think we're doing all we can there, Jamie.
We're following the ACR down, so maybe we need more
cuts quicker.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Now those who were identified as looking less favorably at
the year ahead, and it wasn't many of them. Most
farmers are reasonably positive at the moment once again, rising
input costs thirty three percent, no surprise there. But government
and intervention and policies is topping the list at thirty
seven percent. Once again, a wee bit of a surprise
(05:55):
for me, because I don't think this government could be
too much more fun friendly.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
Yeah, look, I do fit. I did find that a
wee bit of a surprise, but I do wonder if
the sort of macroeconomic climate gets pulled into that from
the global space. So maybe that's just on farmers minds too,
I believe.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Okay, so there's a good positive a rural confidence survey
from Rabobank. I'm just coming back to Hamilton where you're
based the White Cato. In fact, the wide and North Island,
especially the west and northern parts, are in a drought.
You mentioned ten mills of rain overnight. It's not a
drought breaker, but it's a start. So are you seeing
dairy farmers drying off early?
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I think it is a huge sort of drawing cares
off or going once a day. I think we're sort
of still waiting for that rain to come. We've had
a couple of really good seasons with supplements, so there's
still pulling your supplement on hand. So I guess with
the reasoning solid payout, still it makes economic sense to
(06:58):
be put a wee bit more feed in Jenmy. But
we don't get rained sooner than the forecast i'd imagine
to see we'll start seeing people drawing off.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Just a final one for you, A bit later in
the show, we're going to be chatting to Andy Borland,
who used to be the chair of Rabobank. I know
you know him well. Now I know that you're a
tertiary educated man. You don't get to be the GM
of a Rabobank or for country banking without a good,
solid degree behind you. Were you a Lincoln guy or
a Massy guy?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
No, No, I had quite good marks, Jamie, So I
got him to Messy.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
That's a bit of a cheap shot. I was going
to ask you if you went to Lincoln. Of course,
there's a rugby reunion coming up, and I know you're
a very keen rugby man.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Yeah, yeah, I certainly heard a wee bit about that.
It'll be good to watch on the sidelines, I guess.
But I do have a connection with Lincoln. My daughter
actually started Lincoln this year, so she went against her
mother and I and decided to skip Messy and head
to Lincoln.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Good honor. Indeed, Lincoln's doing very well. More than five
thousand students in fact, might be five and a half
one thousand students on campus and online. So that's a
damn fine result for a university that a few years
ago was in deep trouble. More about that Lincoln Rugby
reunion Lincoln College Rugby reunion a bit later in the hour.
But Bruce ware GM for Country Banking for Rabobank, thanks
(08:16):
for some of your time from Sydney today.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Do you think Sheny not yet?
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Thank you, Bruce. It has bang on quarter past twelve.
You're with the Country. Brought to you by Brent. Michelle
Watts wandered in with a cup of tea. Well done, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
I just want to reinforce to the listener's misogyny does
not exist in this workforce, although we do have a
food chain. I did buy you a coffee this morning,
so that's a fair swape you did.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, you're very You're very good to me, Jamie's my listeners.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
To know out there, well, not everyone thinks I'm good
to them. We've we've just lost we've officially lost a
Country member, but not completely. We'll tell you more about
that with Karen Williams. But when when's Trumpster? When's the
big gone releasing?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
The Kennedy files are sometime this afternoon as of five
twenty pm, which it is roughly over there at the moment.
They still hadn't been released, so I guess they're still
hanging on. We'll find out. I guess I might even
have to tune into Fox News about this too.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Well, when I get home from my Wednesday afternoon golf,
That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to watch
Fox News and enjoy all the conspiracy theories that will abound.
Eighty thousand pages. That is a lot of reading, a
lot of reading. Also, I need you to find out
for me, talking about talking to Bruce and the drought
(09:33):
in the North Island, where are those remaining black Cap
T twenties against Pakistan scheduled four because it's a way
to break a drought. So I'm hoping there's some scheduled
for I don't know Hamilton, New Plymouth, bung Array. You
can find those out. But up next, Up next, we're
going to chat to Mike McIntyre who's in Auckland. Also,
(09:55):
he's Jardan's head of commodities. I thought it was a
really good global dairy tra auction overnight with a flat result,
but he reckons the devil's in the detail. Mike McIntyre.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Up next, Kennedy, I wonder gly waiting their Queen bartendercades
for the God.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
I've shout it out, who killed.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Of Kennedy is wearing hand of h when you mvy.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
The Rolling Stones and Sympathy for the Devil. I didn't
even realize, mindo. I used to think the song was
called Symphony for the Devil, that the Kennedys were mentioned
in there. I should listen to the lyrics. Mike McIntyre
joins his head of commodities for Jardin. Mike, are you
a Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorist like myself?
Speaker 8 (10:54):
No? No, probably a little bit before my time. But
you know heavy to be brought up to speed on it.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
You haven't been brought up to speed, or you have.
Speaker 8 (11:01):
No happy to be brought up to speed.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Well, I don't know that Trump's releasing eighty thousand pages
very shortly, so I will be watching Fox News and
reading those tonight. I'll be full of knowledge on tomorrow's show.
Tell me well, I woke up this morning rather early. Actually,
first thing I did every second Wednesday, which shows you
what a boring life I've got. I go to my
phone and I see what the GDT auction's doing, and
(11:25):
I see a flat result Home powd are up a
wee bit. When you told me yesterday the futures market
was picking a one to two percent drop. Surely we'd
grab this result with both hands. But you say, the
devil no pun intended for this song. The devil is
in the detail.
Speaker 8 (11:42):
Yeah, I don't think it was a bad result, obviously.
You know anywhere where you know, Hoole Pader's approaching four
thousand dollars a time, and the Kiwi is where it is.
It's fantastic. It's just that a lot of the improvements
came through the likes of mozzarella, which Fonterra doesn't sell, lactose,
which is actually a cost of the new hilland Farmer
rather a benefit, and even some of the improvements and
the likes of skim milk power and homlet powder came
(12:04):
from European sellers who they became evident when you had
a look at who the participating buyers were, and a
lot of them were Europeans. And so as a result,
you know, Europeans haven't suddenly worken up today and decided
they're going to buy a New Zealand product. They're in
fact still buying European product. We have to just be
a little bit careful when we look at the index.
Probably one of the biggest contributors, or one of the
(12:28):
most interesting points was that C one skim milk powder
price which failed to clear. So historically prices opened fifteen
percent below where they closed last time. And so you know,
although the index shows it has unchanged, in fact failed
fifteen percent, what is.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
The new Zealand waiting on the Global Airy Trade auction platform.
Speaker 8 (12:48):
It would still be demonstrably high. It's just at this
time of the year where our volume is full away
quite quickly and we're coming to the start of the
European flush, they have more of an influence than what
they would have in previous options, and so and again,
you know, GUNT have done a great job of getting
or attracting new sellers onto the platform. But as a
result of that, and we just have to be a
(13:09):
little bit careful now when we look at the headlines
and numbers, because as I said, you know, the devil
is in the detail.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Darien Z came out earlier in the week and they're
saying ten bucks for this year, which seems to be
almost locked and loaded, but interestingly ten bucks for next
season twenty five twenty six, the futures market once again,
information provided by you to me yesterday are the futures
market's not quite seeing ten dollars for next season yet, and.
Speaker 8 (13:36):
You wouldn't expect that. There's a lot of uncertainty. Obviously,
there's no milk being sold for next season as off years,
and so you know, for them to come out and
say post ten dollars while you know, you're making some
pretty big assumptions, and not to say they're not going
to be they're not going to play out. It's just
there's a lot of unknown So you know, I'd look
at the futures more as a more as a touch point,
(13:58):
just because of the fact that if a farmer wants
to make that of their effective milk price, they can
lock that. And whereas the ten thirteen, while it'll be
exciting to see that sort of price pop up next year,
it's not something that we can act on at the stage.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Trump is releasing the Kennedy papers today. I have more
interest in New Zealand farmers is when he makes his
pronouncement about tariffs, have likes New Zealand dairy farmers got
less to fare than say New Zealand red meat farmers,
bearing in mind we send less dairy comparatively to the
US than we do red meat.
Speaker 8 (14:32):
Yeah, I think that's probably a fair assumption. What I
would say, though, is that the US exports about fourteen
percent of its solids. You know, they're a market that's
four and a half times the size of US, twice
the number of cows, but four and a half times
the size of production. But fourteen percent of their solids
are exported. So in terms of the amount of milk exported,
not not a huge difference to New Zealand, but the
(14:54):
concentration is a lot different. Sixty percent of the air
exports go through into Mexico. I sorry, forty percent of
their exports go through into meat Xico, of which sixty
percent would be skimmel powder. So although red meats obviously
got a lot more at play, if there was britelliatory
efforts from Mexico and regards to the tariffs, then obviously
it'll throw a whole lot of extra product out into
(15:14):
the market.
Speaker 6 (15:15):
You know.
Speaker 8 (15:15):
Fortunately, we're about to into in a period now where
we don't produce a lot of milk. But if it
was overheming the market for a period of time then
you know, obviously it wouldn't help the startup to next season.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
A quick comment on Fonterra is what half year results
due tomorrow will have Miles hurrole on the show? What
are you expecting.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
I'm really expecting entinly of that range. So it's been
sort of three and a half months since we lasted
and updack to the milk price, and since then, you know,
we've seen a third of the New Zealand season collected,
so you know, the uncertainty that existed at the start
of December doesn't exist now, and so i'd expect that range,
both the nine to fifty at the bottom end and
the ten to fifty even at the top end to
(15:52):
be tightened, you know. And I'm really hopeful actually of
an increase from the Carrotman point from where we are now.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
Oh, good news, Okay, Mike McIntyre, thank you very much
for your time. We will await Miles Hurrel and what
he has to say on tomorrow's show. Documents have been released.
Michelle has passed me a note, yes, but what's in them? Michelle?
You can pass me another note with all eighty thousand
(16:19):
pages please before the end of the show up next
to Karen Williams. I've got a bit of a bone
to pick with Karen Williams. That is up next. She's
the new Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand.
Speaker 7 (16:33):
Read to me too, Oh you get, oh yeah, an you.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Songs featuring the Kennedys Today. There you go. You learn
something every day. Didn't realize it was in the song.
Karen Williams joins us former vice president of Federated Farmers.
If she'd hung in there, she would have cut Wayne
Langford off. At the past she would have been the
president formerly in a pr position with FMG. These days
(17:19):
are Karen for about a month. You're the new chief
Executive of Irrigation New Zealand. And let's just address the
elephant in the room if we can. Why I've got
a bit of a bone to pick with you because
Rowena Duncan has been Duncan has been my offsider here
on the country since about twenty seventeen twenty eighteen, and
I got used to her. She became part of the
furniture and she fills them when I'm away. But she
(17:42):
has now decided to take your old job at FMG,
even though she's going to hang around and help us out.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Thanks for that, Karen, Good afternoon, Jamie and youth. Look
the congratulations to row And I suppose perhaps I love
my job so much at e FMG and might have
promoted it a bit well, but it obviously caught her
eye and that we know that she represents the role
was very much about being the voice of the client
(18:08):
and understanding what the concerns and challenges and opportunities are.
And Roy will continue to bring that very strongly into
E FuG And I guess the upside is she's still
in the wider Egg family. Jamie.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Well, you women and agg are sort of just playing
musical chairs. Rowena yourself Vanessa from Irrigation New Zealand, yep.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Just keep moving around and keep hopefully having a positive
impact on.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Talk to me and I know you've only just got
your feet under the desk about the challenges and they're exciting,
well they exciting things ahead for irrigation because Vanessa winning,
as I said, did a really good job putting it
on the map. And you've got Shane Jones now a
real champion for irrigation and water storage around the country.
And we were talking about a new water storage facility
(18:59):
in the heratone Planes and Hawks Bay. We just need
more of this, Karen. That's your brief, Eh.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
That's my brave. Yeah, And look shout out to Vanessa.
And it's great that her insights that she had an
irrigation New Zealand she's taken into NPI in sort of
an enabling role so that we're having these conversations about
wise use of water and good water storage and so
that that message won't change for us. You know, we're
(19:25):
very much about Okay, we know we've got some challenges
with climate, and we've got areas that are drier, areas
that are wetter, and then the anomalies that go with
that as well. And I think you know, we can
talk about that certainly this year where East Coast is
usually your drier area and your West coast is a
bit more plentiful rain, and we've got a complete reverse
(19:47):
on that. So we need to be thinking smarter about
how do we harness the opportunities of that water and
those peak flow areas and store that. And that can
be in a different range of ways, whether it is
a dam, or it's water storage on farm, whether it's
canal it's equa for recharge. So we really need to
be looking at the spectrum of opportunities to build greater
(20:08):
resilience for our farmers and growers, but also all of community.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
You're an arable farmer when you're not when you're at home,
which is probably not very often these days, Karen, in
the wire rapper region, so you're looking for dry, settled,
warm weather at this time of the year to get
all the crops off. How's the wire rapper looking.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Yeah, look, I think everyone be pretty happy and there's
plenty of grass around. Yeah, it has been a bit
stop starting with harvest, but the yields have been pretty good.
And I think that probably was that week period we
had that sort of ruined Christmas New Year, but it
has helped drive up the yields. It's just made harvest
(20:50):
somewhat later. We're probably three weeks behind where we'd ordinarily be.
But yeah, so we're taking each day as it comes.
It's raining again today, so it's a good day being
twenties for almost the twenties of the month. Tomorrow, so
husband's at home sorting out those accounts.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I think, are you going to be a legacy chief
executive like by the time you leave the role for
your inevitable next role. As you climb your way to
the top of the ladder, Karen Williams, will you get
a big kick our stam in the wire wrapper and
say I built that.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
I'm not interested in titles. I'm just interested in good,
good outcomes. And we need to build greater resilience in
the waded up and it's been talked about for decades.
You know we've got mastered and district on restrictions this
summer where you will allowed to water your vegigaden. You
know that's no good when you've got a cost of
living crisis. So we need to continue the conversation that's
(21:42):
about how do we best catcher and store the water
so that we can use it at the right time.
And that includes residential and cludes are in industrial commercial
users and we certainly want to grow opportunities for our
farmers and growers.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Karen Williams, great to catch up with you in your
capacity as the new Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand.
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Thanks very much. Jamie.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
There we go and as twenty six away from One
Rural News Next Kennedy Songs Michelle's loaded them all up.
Apparently there's a wee bit of guns n' roses Civil War. Yeah,
I didn't even know that one. We didn't start the fire,
Billy Joel that mentions Kennedy's Oh and I should actually
(22:25):
play Abraham Martin and John Do you know what that
one's about? No, I'll tell you during the commercial break,
We'll be back with rural news and sports news here
on the Country. Welcome back to the Country. Very shortly.
The latest and rural news and sports news now Matt
(22:48):
Day and Wade Bell. They're the hosts of the Feed
for Thought podcast and they're in the process of taking
their show on the road. Matten Wade's Rural Roady is
a three week tour through Heartland, New Zealand, with fourteen
different events along the way, the industry experts farmers sharing
their experiences and networking opportunities galore. Whether you're a farmer, grower,
(23:10):
contractor consultant or rural professional, Mattin Wade's Rural Roadie offers
something for everyone. Tonight's stop off and It's going to
be a lot of fun, involves hitting the waves at
the Surfing for Farmers event in Raglan then later this
week there's an on farm event in Reparoa, plus next
week the Lad's head through Taranaki and Lower North Island
before venturing south. As with any good rural road trip,
(23:32):
stops include giveaways, Barista made coffee and free lunches. To
find your nearest event, check out the full tour schedule
online at Pioneer dot co dot nz.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
To the country's rural news with cob Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on Lawnbower brand, visit steel Ford dot co
dot Nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Teresa Reddan, the butchery manager at Packensave glen Innes and
East Auckland, and is heading to Paris to represent New
Zealand as part of the Haller's Sharp Blacks team at
the World Butcher's Challenge. She is the only female in
the six man team and will be competing alongside five
other butchers from across New Zealand. The squad also has
another female reserve. The competition takes place from March thirtieth
(24:17):
to thirty first and features fourteen teams from around the world,
and the judges will assess butchers on hygiene, cleanliness, efficiency, safety,
product cookability and the presentation of the meat and that's
your rooral news. You can find more at the Country
dot co dot.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
NZ Sport with AVCO Kiwi to the Bone since nineteen
oh four.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
And as much as I'm looking forward to the release
of the classified Kennedy files, I.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Never would have guessed Jamie I mentioned it once.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
No. On what I'm looking more forward to is fifteen
year old middle distance runner Sam Ruth attempting to become
the youngest person to record a sub formanut miles, happening
at Mount Smart tonight. Also in sports news, England Cricket's
governing body has come out against proposals for a Saudi
(25:05):
Arabian backed T twenty league because the tournament will further
saturate the market and there's no show without Trump. United
States President Donald Trump has promised to revive a bilateral
hockey rivalry with puck loving Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. It's
(25:27):
a bromance, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
How with Ukraine, the whole thing is just absolutely bizarre.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Yep okay up next to Andy Borland Gee. He runs
Scales Corp, one of our biggest horticulture companies. He's also
a former chair of Rabobank, but he's talking about we're,
amongst other things, about a rugby reunion coming up at
Lincoln College these days known as Lincoln University. Here's a
(26:01):
man who wears quite a few hats in agriculture in
the primary sector. His name is Andy Borland. He's the
managing director of Scales Corp. Their chair Mike Peterson, is
in India with the Prime Minister at the moment. He's
a former chair of Ravo Bank. And for the purposes
of this interview, Andy, you are one of the organizers
of the Lincoln College Rugby Football Club Reunion for all
(26:24):
those you and me included who played footy for Lincoln
College before it became Lincoln University in nineteen ninety. Tell
us all about it.
Speaker 9 (26:35):
Yeah, thanks, Jamie. Look, we were talking to a group
of us, were talking in the Lincoln College, if you like,
went without saying goodbye. So we decided we'd the title
the Last Autumn Muster Reunion for all of those rugby
players and you know, men and woman that played for
Lincoln and still around from the late fifties right through
(26:57):
to that ninety ninety changeover. There's a fair group of them.
All teams are obviously welcome from the hard case social
teams right through to the first fifteen. So and you
know we're excited to I guess get them all together
to celebrate and acknowledge old times. But yeah, clearly, being
the president of the Lincoln Lincoln University Rugby Football Club,
(27:21):
I've got a bit of a mandate to try and
find them a bit of funding every now and then.
So we're going to raise a bit of money with
the ticket, but also some really cool oction items, Jamie.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
And over the years, Lincoln College these days, Lincoln University
had some great rugby teams and some great rugby players.
Lots of all blacks played for Lincoln College. And I
think I turned up there in nineteen eighty two as
a dip hagger. You were there as a youngster doing
a commerce degree. But I think the year before us,
the nineteen eighty one Lincoln First fifteen as it was
(27:54):
in those days, was arguably one of the best rugby
teams the college you ever put out, oh.
Speaker 9 (28:01):
For sure, and they won the Chrostich competition that year.
They had Craig Green, Albi Anderson, Bruce Dean's how wouldn't
miss any out, But there was a hell of a
lot of them. We're in and around the All Blacks
or Canterbury and they were a very good site.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
Yeah, and a guy called Dave White who probably should
have been on All Black.
Speaker 9 (28:21):
Yeah he was him and Albert Anderson is luck. You
couldn't get better. I wouldn't have thought.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Okay, So how does the weekend pan out?
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Well, look for the real keen get down here on Thursday.
Get the christis on Thursday, and there's an evening function
there at the high school old Boys Club. The Andy
Owen sort of knows those guys, so they've welcomed us
in and let us make a bit of money on
anything we sell. But the main function is the next day,
the Friday night, twenty third of May, where we've got
(28:52):
a function from about four o'clock at the hornby Workingmen's
Clubs the groom there which we'll have a few beers
and a few yarns and also have a meal and
here from some hard case you know, colleagues and older
students and are going to sort of run a prize
auction system as well. So it should be fun.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Now on Saturday to get along and support the current team.
Speaker 8 (29:18):
Sure, on Saturday.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
There's a lot to see out at Lincoln for those
that haven't been around. The rebuild has been incredible what
they've done out there. They've just recommissioned Memorial Hall. There's
there's it's worth going out for sure. So there'll be
a tour of the university on the Saturday of the
twenty fourth, and you know, we'll give you a tend's
(29:39):
brief lunch and then we're off to watch the rugby,
which is our club day for the for the year.
So we all most of the teams are playing out there,
so it would be great for the older guys and
girls to see see how the teams are performing.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Now, yeah, on Sunday, you just look your owns and
go home. So how do you register for the Sandy.
Speaker 9 (29:58):
Well, you can link on the Lincoln University Alumni website
or just if you Lincoln to Google, you know, Lincoln
College Rugby Football Club Reunion. That will take you straight
to the portal and you can you know, you fill
the foreman and send your money and you're all set
to go. It's not a simple process. I'm not an
it genius myself, but I managed to get through it.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Yeah, well I was thick as to planks when it
comes to it. And I just googled Lincoln College Rugby
Football Club reunion and there you go, all the informations
in front of you. Talk to me, put on your
Scales hat managing director. Of course, you're our biggest apple
exporter in this country. I think I'm right in saying that, aren't.
Speaker 10 (30:37):
I Andy pretty close to it?
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Yeah, okay, So how's Mike Petterson getting on in India
with the PM.
Speaker 9 (30:43):
Well, we haven't heard from him, but it was good
of he's and when he was special envoy for the
Trade ministers back in the day, I'm talking about like
sem or eight years ago, maybe ten, he toured the
world with like Sir Mike Grocer and those guys, and
he went in there a lot, and you know, he
knows a lot about that part of the you know,
how those trade deals work. So it was logical for
(31:07):
Mike to go when we Scales got an invitation by
mister Apple. So to send Mike up there is incredibly
experienced and yeah, we're hoping for, you know, a good
outcome for the accept At.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
The moment, your tariff on apples is something like forty
nine percent, and I was talking to Todd McLay about
this yesterday and I know you heard that interview. Look,
if we could get zero tariffs on say lamb and horticulture,
that would be a great result.
Speaker 6 (31:34):
Ah.
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Sure, I mean it's a it's a fast growing economy.
I think it's the world's largest population.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
Now.
Speaker 9 (31:40):
They certainly you have a need like in their apples
sense that their apple crop gets absolutely cleaned out eaten,
so there's no sort of great, big cool stores processes
taking them through for twelve months. So they need the
import apples to fill in that part of the season.
So it's a great opportunity for us to know too.
(32:02):
We're selling all our varieties in Indiana. It's a great market.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
Hey, Andy Ball and MD of Scales Corp. Great to
have you on the show today. Remember if you want
to go to the Lincoln College Rugby Football Club reunion,
just google it. It'll take you straight there and you
can register. You're a born and bred south Into like me. Andy.
I'll see you at duck shooting.
Speaker 9 (32:22):
Hey, thanks very much, Jamie, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Thanks Andy. That was a fraudy and slip. Duck hunting
up next, Hunter MacGregor and China. Our guy in Shanghai
is Hunter MacGregor. He's selling venison and red meat to
the Chinese. He's been a bit of a grim reaper
(32:46):
to be there in recent times about the Chinese economy.
And I ask you this every time, Hunter, why change
the habit of a lifetime. Surely there must be some
green shoots appearing in that Chinese economy. I mean someone's
buying all of our products.
Speaker 10 (33:01):
Yeah, good afternoon, Jamie. Yeah, there's a few green shoots
floating around. And a bit of positivity came out of
the government yesterday with some growth figures and things like that.
You know, there's four percent sales growth and retail you know,
last month and things like that. So yeah, there's a
few positive signs. But it's still still challenging and consumer
(33:23):
confidence is still quite low. But what the government's doing
up here is they're actually, you know, they're going to
spend some money and try to turn that around. So
let's see how that goes.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Often a good barometer for consumer confidences housing prices, and
they have been suppressed for quite a while in China.
Now if your house is worth more, you've got a
bit more equity, you feel a bit more comfortable about
spending some money.
Speaker 10 (33:50):
Yeah, No, the housing market is still down. And I
was talking to someone the other day that's involved in
that industry and he said, at the moment, there's no
one buying houses in China as an investment because they
know that the market is not going to bounce back
or come or you're not going to see any capital growth.
So you know, people are holding off, and you know,
(34:11):
so that's affecting consumer confidence. But you know, the governments here,
they just came out the other day where they're coming
out with a special action plan to boost consumption here.
So they're going to try to, you know, give it
a go and let's see how that turns out. Because
you know what, traditionally, when when people up herec headwinds,
(34:33):
they put their hands in their pocket and start saving
a bit more because there's not too many safety nets
like in New Zealand. So let's see how that goes.
But you know what, we've got a bit of warmer
weather on the way. It's always a good time of
the year at the moment, so you know, Pete, there's
always a bit of an uplift in things because people
are sort of getting out of their their winter slumber
and into a bit of spring, so you can't complain.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
You're a rock spurh born and bread boy. Of course,
Jimmy's Pie is the I think they're some of the
greatest piers in New Zealand. Of course that's baking or
a bakery. You can call in on your way through
Roxburgh play the best little golf course in New Zealand
as well. But you've got some really fascinating stats on
the baking sector in China.
Speaker 10 (35:16):
Well, yeah, the baking sector in China is going from
strength to strength, is continuing and growing. They're just looking
at some numbers the other day. Now they reckon that
in twenty twenty two there was about thirty nine point
eight billion dollars US dollars in sales, and it's looking
to grow to about forty nine billion this year. There's
about they reckon there's about five hundred thousand bakeries in China.
(35:39):
I'm not too sure about the number because I've read
somewhere between five hundred and six hundred thousand. There's a
hell of a lot of bakeries. But you know last year,
in August last year in Shanghai, there was four seven
hundred and eleven bakeries just in Shanghai alone, and a
lot of those bakeries are sort of they're not the
(36:00):
Chinese traditional bakeries where they have sweet bread and not
very things that we're not very familiar with. A lot
of them will be what we call foreign style bakery,
you know, very a lot of the products of bread
and everything. They will be very familiar to everybody.
Speaker 4 (36:15):
Birthday cakes are also big business in China.
Speaker 10 (36:19):
Oh massive. Yeah, they're expensive, you know. And what I
find with a lot of them, if it's not a
chocolate cake, a lot of the cakes are just a
basic sort of sponge cake with the whole heap of
sort of creamy sort of stuff around them to give
them design and stay. They're pretty not very tasteful, but
a how of a lot of dairy products are used
in them, which is positive for the New Zealand dairy
(36:41):
farmer because the dairy products are going to come from somewhere.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Absolutely they will send as much butter as we can
over there for the baking sector. Now you're waiting with
baited breast breath breast, I should rephrase that, shouldn't I
hunter baitaed breast For the first of the new season's
key we fruit to arrive over and I know that
the red is first off the vines. Effectively, it's already
(37:05):
on a ship and you're you're going to taste some
win in the next week or so in China.
Speaker 9 (37:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (37:10):
No, they've actually just gone out with some pre sales.
I think the ship arrived sometime this week, so product
will probably be in the market next week. So it
actually bought some pre ordered some some red Kiwi fruit,
so looking forward to getting my hands on that, and
then hopefully there'll be some fresh new season apples from
New Zealand hitting the market soon. So it's a good
(37:31):
time of the year and you know, quite excited and
I'm sure zespri and the apple industry WI will do
well like they have done in the past.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
Absolutely, it's a great time of the year to be
in New Zealand, your home country, because the apples are
just to die for at the moment, Hunter of Ogregor,
we'll talk to you in another couple of weeks in Shanghai.
You can tell us all about your first feed of
the Kiwi fruit red.
Speaker 8 (37:53):
We'll do it.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Thanks jam Hunt of Ocgregor. Wrapping the country for today,
we'll catch them at the same time, same place tomorrow
as usual. Miles Hurrel with those half year Fonterra results
and lots of Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay Thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
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